A new generation of the Malenko legacy stepped into the spotlight on Monday as Marie Malenko officially launched her professional wrestling career in Japan with Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Marie Malenko is the daughter of Dean Malenko, whose career saw him capture championships across ECW, WCW and WWE. Wrestling runs even deeper in the family, as she is also the granddaughter of Boris Malenko and the niece of Joe Malenko, making her a third generation wrestler carrying the historic surname.

Malenko made her in ring debut at NOAH’s Monday Magic Rising Sun Season 3 event, held at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. She teamed with Sofia Sivan, a two year professional wrestler from Orlando, in a three way tag team match. Their opponents were the teams of Dream Girl Ellie and ZONES, and Alivia Rose and Great Sakuya.

The bout lasted just under ten minutes and saw Rose and Sakuya emerge victorious. Following the match, the focus immediately shifted to the GHC Women’s Championship, as reigning champion Mayu Iwatani appeared and named Sakuya as her next challenger.

After the match, Malenko and Sivan spoke backstage in a short promo. Malenko asked her partner how her first match in Japan felt, to which Sivan replied that she felt they more than held their own. She added that they gave as much as they received and promised that next time it would be game on.

Praise for Malenko also surfaced online, as former Ring of Honor star Erick Stevens revealed that he had trained with her. Stevens noted that with more experience, Malenko has the potential to become one of the best technical wrestlers in the country.

The main event of the show saw Kaito Kiyomiya defeat Izzy James, a fifteen year veteran from Houston, Texas, to close out the event.

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